*Kadapa Steel plant is Rayalaseema's right*

Kadapa, July 1: YSR Congress Party leaders declared that the Kadapa Steel Plant is the rightful aspiration of Rayalaseema and condemned the Chandrababu Naidu government for attempting to claim credit for a project that was conceived, approved and substantially advanced under the leadership of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. A YSRCP delegation comprising MLCs C. Ramasubba Reddy, D.C. Govinda Reddy and Ramachandra Reddy, MLA Dasari Sudha, District President and former MLA P. Ravindranath Reddy, former MLAs Rachamallu Sivaprasad Reddy and Raghurami Reddy, and former Minister Sake Sailajanath was stopped by police at Jammalamadugu while proceeding to inspect the JSW Steel Plant site. The police action triggered protests by YSRCP leaders and cadres, who later addressed the media.

The leaders stated that the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government transformed the long-pending dream of a Kadapa Steel Plant into reality by securing all statutory approvals, allocating nearly 3,500 acres of land, providing water from Gandikota Reservoir, constructing approach roads, sanctioning railway connectivity, power infrastructure and other facilities worth nearly ₹750 crore, and bringing JSW Steel on board with an investment of about ₹8,800 crore. Construction had formally commenced under Y.S. Jagan after the Bhoomi Pooja in February 2023.
They said the project came to a standstill only after the coalition government assumed office, politically targeted the JSW management, created an atmosphere of fear, and stalled the works for two years. After bringing the project to a halt, Chandrababu Naidu is now returning to the very same project for another foundation ceremony in a blatant attempt to claim credit for work already executed by the previous government.
YSRCP leaders asserted that Rayalaseema's youth deserve jobs, not repeated foundation stones. They demanded that the government immediately resume construction instead of staging publicity events and warned that the people of Rayalaseema would not allow the coalition government to rewrite history or steal credit for a project built through the commitment and vision of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. They reiterated that Kadapa Steel is Rayalaseema's right, and its true credit belongs to YSR and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.